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Letter from the detained Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid

15. December 2014 - 13:11

“I’m not aware that if there is any Idrizovo prison inmate with more restrictions than me” – says Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje in a letter to the Director of Penitentiaries in Skopje.

We should not forget that Archbishop Jovan who is the canonical heir of his predecessor, who was threatened with his life, did not deny faith, the Church and her unity.

“We shall also not forgot that the Republic of Macedonia applied various coercive measures to reassure me to give up the unity of the established Church and to return to the schismatic Macedonian Orthodox Church”, says Archbishop Jovan.

What is apparent will happen because of his consistency, and the government interprets this as his disobedience to them.

Liquidation of the Archbishopric is a big conspiracy, as it is the easiest way to detain me in jail, notes the leader of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

The website of the Serbian Orthodox Church states that Archbishop Jovan gave the letter to his mother during her visit to the prison. It was also submitted to the Administration for enforcement.

A statement by the Ohrid Archbishopric also states that his mother confirmed that the Archbishop is in poor health, and remains inside his cell without any proper medical care and is completely isolated.

The Archbishopric states that they are facing relentless pressure to send Archbishop Jovan out of Republic Macedonia if he gets released from the prison.

It is also reported that the authorities are using prisoners to threaten physical liquidation, unless the Archbishop agree to leave the Republic of Macedonia.